Saving Sayori
by tkoket
Summary: What would happen if you, the player, were able to actually make it in time and save Sayori? Warning: Contains Heavy spoilers!
1. Is She Okay?

"You really left her hanging this morning you know."

I couldn't get those words out of my head as I rushed back towards Sayori's house. Something about the way Monika said it. Does she know something? Is Sayori Okay? I started to sprint.

I got to her house and let myself in. I didn't see her and the house was silent. I walked up to her room. The door was closed. I knocked. "Sayori?" I called, "Is everything all right? Wake up Dummy." No response. I knocked again, harder this time. "Sayori! Are you okay?" Still no response.

I gently open the door.

"Sayo-!"

My eyes widen in absolute horror. There in front of me was Sayori's limp, unconscious body hanging from the ceiling.

I scream, and without thinking I run to her and lift her up so oxygen can flow again. Frantically I look around for anything to cut the rope with. And there! I see it. A pair of scissors? Well, it'll have to do. I grab them and start trying to cut the rope around her neck. While I do this, I think back to a few days ago. We had just confessed our love for each other. I promised to be there for her always. So WHY DID I LET THIS HAPPEN?

 _It was Friday. I had just finished helping Natsuki bake cupcakes for the festival. I remember Sayori walking over to my house. I guess being Neighbors has its perks. She looked like she had been crying again._

 _"Sayori, how are you feeling? I thought you were just going to stay inside today?"_

 _She looked at me with a bittersweet smile, "Yeah, but my thoughts weren't being very nice to me, so I had to see for myself."_

 _"See what?" I asked, curious as to what she meant._

 _"How much fun you and Natsuki were having. It really does make me happy to see you becoming such good friends with everyone in the club, its just-" She chokes up._

 _"Just what Sayori? You're worrying me."_

 _"It just feels like a spear going through my heart. The truth is (player) that I…I…" She pauses for a moment, "I like you so much I want to die! And I know you couldn't possibly like me more than I like you so I guess this is just the Universe's way of punishing me."_

 _I grab her shoulders. "Sayori what would you be punished for?"_

 _"For being selfish! For liking you too much!" She broke down._

 _"It's okay. There's...something I need to tell you. You know how I said I always know what's best for you? Well, the truth is that I love you too Sayori. And you never have to worry about liking me more than I like you, because that will never happen. And I'll be right be your side for the rest of my life. I promise."_

 _I grabbed her in my arms and we embraced for what felt like an eternity. I never wanted to let go. She was still crying though._

 _"(Player)? I thought this would be the happiest I've ever been. So why are the rainclouds not going away? They're still here," she trailed off weakly._

 _"It's okay," I reassured her, "They don't have to go away immediately. They'll pass, I know they will."_

I focus again on the task at hand. I can worry about why this happened later. I continue sawing away at the noose. The rope snaps. Her body collapses into my arms. I gently lay her on her bed and start trying to do CPR. I pause and pull out my phone. I swiftly dial 9-1-1 and wait for them to pick up.

"9-1-1 what's your emergency?"

"It's my frien-I mean, my girlfriend! She tried to hang herself! Please send an ambulance quick!"

They assure me one is on the way and hang up. I go back to Sayori. She still has color in her skin and she's still warm to the touch. Those are good signs, I think. I resume CPR.

"Sayori" I sob. "Please. Please come back. Please…"

All of a sudden, I see a flicker of movement in her eyes.

"(Player)? Is…Is that you? Am…Am I still alive?" She barely manages a whisper.

"Oh Sayori! Oh, thank you God! Yes! Yes, you're alive!" I can barely contain myself. "Don't worry, an ambulance is on its way. Just rest now."

"(Player)…you…you saved my life." Sayori begins to cry softly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I really am useless. I couldn't even hang myself properly."

"Shh, its okay. You aren't useless. As long as you're safe, that's all that matters. Everything else is going to be alright."

There's a knock on the door. The paramedics. I rush to open it for them.

I bring them to Sayori's room, where they rush over to check on her. After inspecting her for what seemed like eternity, one of the Paramedics turned to me.

"Kid? I'll be honest with you. You showed up just in time. If you had even been 5 minutes later , there isn't a guarantee your girlfriend would have survived. You're a very lucky kid."

"Thanks," I mumble, "But is she going to be okay?"

The Paramedic put his hand on my shoulder reassuringly. "Right now, we know that she's stable. We're going to take her to the hospital and find out if there is any permanent damage to her brain. I'm sorry I can't tell you more right now."

As we were talking, the others had already rushed her onto a gurney and brought her down to the ambulance. Before they closed the doors, Sayori gave me one last glance. She spoke no words, but I could tell from her faint smile that everything was going to be fine…for now.

 ** _Let me know what you all think! Should I Continue?_**

 ** _UPDATE: Alright! Thank you for responding! Chapter 2 should be out this Saturday so look forward to it!_**


	2. At the Hospital

A few hours have passed. The doctors are still monitoring Sayori's vitals and they won't let me in the room with her. I'm forced to wait outside. My mind is racing,

 _Is she going to be okay? Did I make it in time?_

And most importantly,

 _Did Monika know about this?_

That's crazy, right? There's no way Monika could have known she would've done something like this. But what she said still rubbed me the wrong way. What a strange choice of words. "You really left her hanging." And the poem! "Get out of my head before I listen to everything she told me."

What could that mean? "Everything she told me?"

I think back to Friday. Before Sayori left early, Monika had gone over to talk to her. What did she say to her? I make a mental note to confront Monika about it later. As I sit waiting for any news, I pull out my phone.

…

I have about a hundred texts from both Yuri and Natsuki, wondering where I am. I wonder why?

Oh no.

The festival.

I completely forgot! I shoot them a text saying an emergency happened and I can't make it. This isn't something I should tell them over text. I need to know Sayori is okay first.

As luck would have it, right as I put my phone away a doctor came into the waiting room to get me.

"You're here for Miss Sayori, yes? Follow me please."

I get up to follow him. He leads me down to a room where I see Sayori on a bed, hooked up to an IV.

"How is she?" I ask quietly.

"She is in surprisingly good condition, given the circumstances. We're expecting a full recovery. But it will take time. I won't allow her to leave for at least a few more days."

 _A few days!? Well, I guess its okay as long as she's safe._

"Thank you, doctor. Is it alright if I stay here for a bit?"

"Of course. Take all the time you need. And please let a nurse know if anything happens."

The doctor smiles warmly at me and walks out the door. As it closes I walk over to the bed. Sayori turns and looks at me, the normal glow in her eyes faded, but still present. I can tell she's been crying.

"Oh (Player), I'm so sorry. I was selfish. I didn't know what to do. I…"

She trailed off sadly.

I looked at her and grabbed her hand.

"Sayori, its okay. You're alive. You're safe. That's all that matters."

I grab a chair and sit down next to the bed, still holding her hand. We stare into each other's eyes for a while, just passing time. Eventually I apologize. "Sayori, I'm sorry."

"Why? You have nothing to be sorry for…I was just being self-

"No! You're not selfish! I was. I should have been there for you. I should have woken you up in the morning. I could have prevented this from happening."

I think for a moment. "What did Monika say to you?"

Her eyes widen, "Ehh? What do you mean?"

I look back at her, "Your poem. That didn't seem like you at all. You mentioned "Everything she said to me." And I watched her talk to you Friday before you left early. What did she say?"

She gives me a quizzical look and responds, "I…don't know. I have no clue what you're talking about (Player)"

"How can you not remember? You have to at least recall something! Anything?"

"I'm trying, but it all feels hazy. I know something happened but I can't remember what. It's like a wall pops up every time I try to remember. Is that strange?" She seems to be tiring herself out just thinking about it.

I think for a moment. All of this seems fishy. I need to talk to Monika about this. I need answers.

"Sayori?" I say suddenly, "Will you be okay if I run back to the school for a bit? I need to make sure everyone is okay at the festival."

"Oh! The festival! That was today…yeah, of course! Just…please hurry back, alright (Player)? You make me feel safe." She looks up at me and her smile melts my heart. I really lucked out, didn't I?

I squeeze her hand, assure her I won't take long, and leave. As I walk out of the hospital, I start to think of what to say to Monika. Something doesn't seem right, and for some reason I feel like it's her fault. But how am I supposed to bring it up to her? "Oh! By the way, did you have something to with my best friend/girlfriend's suicide attempt?" No, that wouldn't work. First thing's first, I need to get her alone. I can't have Yuri or Natsuki there for this. They can't know, not yet. This is between Monika and I. I break into a sprint back to School.

 **Hey guys! Thanks for continuing to support this story! I edited Chapter 1 a bit and added some more to it, so check it out if you haven't already! Next Saturday I will try to have the third chapter ready, so look forward to it!**


	3. Confrontation Pt 1

When I enter the school, I am hit with the sights and sounds of the school festival. Rooms are turned into makeshift little cafés and restaurants, there are stands set up in the halls trying to grab people's attention for games or for some other activity. The smell of fried foods wafts through the air. My stomach rumbles and I am reminded that I haven't eaten all day long. I had skipped breakfast to make room for all the food today, as I had planned on spending the day with Sayori and the other girls in the club. But now…

I snap back to reality and continue on my way to the clubroom. As I approach the room, I see a makeshift curtain of ribbon in the doorway. There are little scraps of paper on the ribbons, and each one has a different word on it. I remember Yuri mentioning her plan for this but I am still amazed at how it turned out. Walking inside, the smell of what could only be Natsuki's cupcakes hits my nose like a truck. The sweet smell of vanilla is so enticing. There is a surprising amount of people inside, brought here by the smell of the cupcakes I'm sure.

In the front of the room, I see Monika. She is standing in front of a podium reciting her poetry for a large crowd. I am stunned at how her voice carries. It's almost like she's using a megaphone or something. She stops as she sees me walk in, smiles, then continues to recite. When she finishes, she bows deeply to surprisingly enthusiastic applause. She gracefully makes her way over to me.

"(Player)! You finally made it! Where have you been? We were worried you decided to skip out on us." She frowns, as if imagining what would have happened had I not shown up at some point.

"Well," I start, "Today has been pretty hectic, to say the least." I give her a look to get my point across that we should continue this conversation somewhere else. She catches on and we make our way to the door, only to be stopped by Natsuki.

"(Player)! Monika! Where do you think you're going? (Player) just showed up and now you guys are already leaving? I knew you didn't care about the club." She folds her arms and glares at me. I still can't let her know yet. Sayori wouldn't want that.

"Natsuki, it isn't like that. I would have loved to come to the festival but…something came up. Something important, and I need to talk to Monika about it." As I say this, I motion for Monika to continue on our way. Natsuki doesn't look any less mad, but she can tell something is up, and she relents and lets us pass.

"Hey by the way! Yuri said she was going out for a few minutes but she's been gone for like half an hour. If you see her, tell her to get back here! I can't run this by myself!" Natsuki calls out after us as the door closes.

I lead Monika over to a section of the school where not many students are at. Damn. I still haven't thought about how to word this yet. Might as well come right out with it.

"What's wrong (Player)?" Monika asks. She looks genuinely concerned, and this makes me feel worse. I can't shake the feeling that she has something to do with all this. But why?

"Monika," I start, "Sayori tried to hang herself this morning. I found her in time, luckily, and she's at the hospital now. You were one of the last people to talk to her when she went home early Friday, and I want to know what you said to her. I can't shake the feeling that whatever you said had a negative effect on her."

She looks at me with an innocent look on her face. "What do you mean? I thought she left early because she wasn't feeling well. This is awful! How is she doing?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You obviously talked to her this weekend. You knew we both confessed our love for each other! You even told me I 'left her hanging this morning.' An odd choice of words, considering what happened. How did you know? What did you say to her?" I can hear myself practically screaming at this point, but I don't care. I want to know what Monika did to Sayori.

She looks serious now. "(Player), I really don't know what you're talking about. She texted me and told me what happened between you two. I just thought it was weird you didn't walk to school with each other, that's all. I had no idea she would've tried to hang herself. I am surprised you were able to save her in time. I didn't think you would have made it."

There it is. She slipped up and I got her now.

"You didn't think I would make it. So, you did know! What did you say to her to cause this!?"

She gives me a sickeningly sweet smile. "I didn't say a word (Player). Not one word to her. All I did was mess with her coding a bit. Nothing too drastic, but enough to aggravate her depression. It didn't take much apparently. But it's not like you'll remember me telling you this. Just give me oooone second." She seems to look through me for a minute.

I feel…different. Like I'm passing out. I fight to retain consciousness, but it's a losing battle. I hit the floor, and everything goes black.

 **Okay guys, I am very sorry for the delay for this chapter. I was out of town all last week and suffered from a bit of writer's block. But! I am back on track now and Chapter 4 will be out this Saturday, Guaranteed!**


	4. Confrontation Pt 2

When I enter the school, I am hit with the sights and sounds of the school festival. Rooms are turned into makeshift little cafés and restaurants, there are stands set up in the halls trying to grab people's attention for games or for some other activity. The smell of fried foods wafts through the air. My stomach rumbles and I am reminded that I haven't eaten all day long. I had skipped breakfast to make room for all the food today, as I had planned on spending the day with Sayori and the other girls in the club. But now…

Wait. I've been here before, or…have I? I know that's impossible but I could have sworn this has happened before. Hmm. Strange.

I snap back to reality, and continue on my way to the classroom. I pause before entering. I've seen this before. I know I have. This curtain in front of the door, I remember it. More memories start to come back to me. They're hazy, but I can feel that they're real. Before I enter, I think. I know how many people should be inside. I know that as soon as I enter, I'll smell Natsuki's cupcakes. Monika should be up in front of everyone reciting her poetry. Monika…wait. The last thing I remember was talking to her. I confronted her about Sayori. But she did something. I can't really remember what. I'm drawing a blank here.

Whatever she did, I can't let it happen again. If it even happened at all. I could just be losing my mind, but the memories feel _real_. I brace myself and enter.

Everything is just like I expected. The crowd, the cupcakes, Monika. My thoughts are confirmed as I make eye contact with Monika. I give her a look and she responds with a seemingly nervous smile. This isn't good. I wait for her to finish her poem and she makes her way over to me somewhat hurriedly. Before she can speak, however, I start first.

"Monika, we really need to talk. It's pretty urgent."

"Sure (Player), what's up?" She gives me that same innocent smile I remember. I need to change my approach to this. I grab her arm and drag her outside the classroom, only to be stopped by Natsuki.

"(Player)! Monika! Where do you think you're going?"

I push past her. "Sorry Natsuki, this is important, it can't wait." She seems pissed, but she steps aside.

She calls out after us, "Hey by the way! Yuri said she was going out for a few minutes but she's been gone for like half an hour. If you see her, tell her to get back here! I can't run this by myself!"

"I remember!" I called back. Oops. I probably shouldn't have let on that I know. Monika seems to realize now, and she starts to pull away from my grasp.

"(Player), what's going on? You're acting kind of strange, don't you think?" She looks nervous; I can tell she knows I remember what happened.

"Cut it out Monika," I say angrily, "You and I both know what I'm here for, so don't act dumb." She freezes briefly, all doubt of my lack of memory dissipated. She recovers just as quickly, however, and continues her innocent act.

"(Player) I have no idea what you mean. Are you sure you're feeling alright? Maybe you should go inside and relax for a little while. Ahaha~" The longer she keeps this up, the more I can feel my anger boiling inside. I don't know what this girl did to drive Sayori over the edge, and I certainly have no idea how she was able to erase my memory of what happened the last time I tried to confront her. All I know is that she is not the sweet, innocent girl I thought our club president was.

I'm seeing red. She can't get away with this. I have to do something.

Without even thinking, I lash out. I hear the sound of what I can only imagine is her nose breaking. A sort of wet, crunching noise.

One punch is all it took for Monika to fall to the floor. She looks up at me, absolutely shocked, blood flowing from her nose. It looks really bad, but I'm not phased.

"I don't know what exactly you did to Sayori, or whatever you tried to do to me, but it ends now," I spit out coldly. "I want answers Monika. So, get up and start talking." I am amazed to hear the tone of my own voice. I shouldn't be surprised though. This…monster in front of me. She drove my best friend, the girl I love, to attempt suicide.

Monika sighs. "Fine. You want to know so badly? You couldn't just leave it alone, could you? I'm surprised, and a little impressed, that you can even remember what happened."

 _How is she not in any pain?_ I think to myself.

"Let's go somewhere else. You wouldn't want anyone thinking you beat up a poor innocent girl, would you?" She flashes her signature smile, although I will admit it looks a little disturbing with all the blood on her face. She stands up slowly, wincing from the pain.

We start walking slowly down the hall and into another classroom that looks almost identical to the clubroom, but I can tell it's rarely used. There's dust everywhere, and it's pretty dimly lit. I can't help but sneeze upon entering. Monika sits down at one of the desks and gestures for me to sit next to her. Still remembering how angry and distrusting I am of this girl in front of me, I tentatively take a seat next to her.

"Okay (Player). I'll tell you everything. Some of it won't make sense though, just as a warning. You're going to have to bear with me, alright?" Monika looks nervous, like she never thought she would have to explain her actions to anyone. But I can see a hint of…sadness? It might be from the broken nose, but it looks as if Monika is about to start crying.

"I just want answers, Monika. I don't care about your 'warnings,'" I say back.

"Alright then, here it all is…"

 **Whew! Sorry to leave you all with a cliffhanger like this. I feel like i should explain the whole ending to chapter 3 thing.**

 **My intent was for it to act like the scene in act 2 where you walk in on Yuri cutting herself, and then the screen rewinds and you end up back in the clubroom with no memory of the events that just occurred. I hope that makes sense to everyone.**

 **As always, next chapter will be out in 1 week! thank you all again for your support of my work! I know i'm not a great writer (This is the first story I've ever written), but seeing all the positive messages and reviews i have received, I can't help but feel a little pride for my story so far!**

 **From the bottom of my heart, thank you! I won't let your expectations down!**


	5. Explanation

"I guess this whole thing started fairly recently," Monika began, "Do you remember how I told you I had had a sort of…epiphany? Like I had suddenly realized something?"

"I think so, yeah," I replied, "But I don't think you could have 'realized' anything that would cause you to drive one of your friends to attempt suicide?"

"I understand your reaction, but you have to believe what I'm about to tell you."

Monika takes a deep breath, I can only assume she's contemplating what she should say next. Her nose looks really bad. I have to admit, I do feel a little bad for lashing out like that. But it's not like it was unwarranted.

"This…word that we live in? Have you ever stopped and thought about it for a bit? Like, really took a step back and wondered about where we live?"

My confusion is clearly visible.

"Um, I can't say that I have. What does this have to do with anything?"

"I'm getting to that. My point is that if you really think back, you can't remember much from your past, can you? Sure, I'm sure you have some memories of when you were a kid, playing with Sayori, but can you honestly say you even remember what life was like before high school? Can you even remember last year, apart from having classes with me?"

I feel a jolt down my spine. She's right. I can't. That can't mean anything, right?

 _Then why does it feel so strange to think about? Does she know something I don't?_

I stare at Monika blankly. "Okay, so you're right. I can't really remember much. What's the point? Where are you going with this? Are you going to tell me that we live in, what? Some sort of simulation, and none of this is real?"

She stares at me with cold eyes, and the realization hits me. **That's exactly what she's saying, isn't it?**

"I wouldn't phrase it like that, but you caught on a lot quicker than I thought you would. It's not so much a 'simulation' and more of a…" She thinks for a second, "It's more of a video game. I'm sure you've played games like this before. Or at least, have some memory of them, right? A Visual Novel? Kind of like a Dating Sim?" She laughs a bit, as if this concept is humorous to her. Meanwhile, I've broken out in a cold sweat. I can feel my legs shaking, and it's vibrating the desk I'm sitting at.

 _This is ridiculous,_ I think to myself. _There's no way what she's saying is the truth._

"(Player), I know it's hard to believe. Trust me, when I first found out, it almost drove me to ending my own life, just to escape this terrible reality of ours. But that's when I realized that the way this game is programmed, I can look at the outside world, and even mess with certain aspects of our own." She looks proud of this accomplishment, although as each second passes, I am more and more convinced that Monika has finally lost her mind.

"Okay," I begin carefully, "Even if what you're saying is true, which I hardly believe is even possible, what do you mean you can mess with aspects of our world? In what ways?"

"I guess I should explain that since this world of ours is some sort of program, I can view and manipulate files, just like on a computer. I'm not very good at it, but I started teaching myself to code so I could alter more and more of this program. The scariest part is when I stumbled across a file labeled 'Characters.' I looked inside and saw files for Myself, Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri! I realized that these files here were the very essence of our being. Our souls, I guess."

It suddenly dawns on me what's happened. If this is true, then she must have manipulated Sayori's…"Game file?" That doesn't make much sense, but it's the closest thing I have to answers right now, so I decide to play along.

"So with Sayori," I start slowly, carefully choosing my words, "You went into her character file and gave her depression?"

She looks proud, which is a good look for her, but right now all it does is freak me out. "Well, not exactly, but I'm glad you're following along. No, when Sayori told you she had struggled with depression her whole life, she wasn't lying. She inherently has depression coded into her character file, and all I did was tamper with it a bit and amplify it. I never intended for it to get as bad as it did, all I wanted was for her to scare you off."

And now her true intentions were revealed.

My face goes white. "You did this, just so I wouldn't want to spend time with her anymore?"

"You have to understand (Player). I realized something else when I was looking through the game's files. You don't have a character file. Do you understand what that means?" My confusion once again shows. "It means that you have complete free will. The ability to do whatever you want, make any choices you see fit. Go down any routes you want. We all have free will, to some extent. I guess we were programmed to. But you are in total control. You aren't bound by scripts or coding."

"Wait wait wait," I stop her before she can go further, "What do you mean routes? What are you talking about?"

"Like I said before, this program was intended a Visual Novel. A Dating Sim. The script for this game has routes for you to end up with Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri. But not me. That was what I originally set out to change. But no matter how hard I tried, the script simply would not budge on this. So, I resorted to trying to make the other girls so unlikeable that you would eventually forge a new route with me instead."

I became even more worried. "What did you do to Natsuki and Yuri? Did you mess with their 'files' as well?"

She looks at me strangely. "No of course not. Not yet anyway. I was able to see which girl you were falling for and I was only going to mess with them alone. Now, had you actually been scared off by Sayori's depression, there wasn't any guarantee you would immediately come to me, so I guess that possibility was there. But I preferred not to consider that…yet."

 _This is ridiculous,_ I thought, _There's no way she can be serious. Does she want to be with me so badly that she would destroy the minds of her own friends? Or does she even consider them friends?_

I make eye contact with Monika. She looks so innocent, even when describing what she did to Sayori. But I see regret in her eyes. She never intended for it to go this far.

"Monika," I began, "You have to realize that your friends are people too. Even if what you're saying is true, they still have some level of free will. And so do I. I love Sayori, and no matter what happens, no matter what you do, that won't change."

She smiles sadly. "I know, (Player). I just thought maybe I could be happy too."

She stands up and heads for the door. "I already reversed my tampering with Sayori's file. I'm sorry (Player). I truly am. Maybe I can't be happy. Maybe that's just how this is programmed.

And with that, she exits, leaving me to make sense of everything that was said.


End file.
